General Guidelines for Official University Pages

Social networking sites aren’t the place for novels. Make what you have to say “short, sweet, and to the point.”

Be respectful

When posting to any social media outlet in an official Radford University capacity, you should exercise respect for others’ thoughts, opinions, ideas, and points of view at all times.

Remember, anyone and everyone can see these posts. Make sure whatever is written reflects the proper image for Radford University to all audiences.

Be timely

The purpose of social media is to be immediate. If you decide to launch a social media account for your department or college, you must also be willing to update it frequently with the most current information.

Be relevant

Make sure what you are sharing is of interest to your audience. It is not helpful if you are sharing information on the latest basketball schedule in a group devoted to soccer.

Be responsive

Posting information is just half the battle in social media. You must also be monitoring feedback to the information you provide and should respond accordingly.

Social media isn’t, however, a place for heated, public debate. If you receive feedback you believe warrants an in depth conversation, suggest to that individual you talk privately via email or over the phone.

While social media is meant to be a conversation where all respectful feedback is received and welcomed, you should delete overtly malicious or profane comments. If the problem persists, report the user to the program’s administrator.

Be accurate

Do not post something you do not know is factually accurate. Double check your sources and ask questions if you aren’t certain.

If something inaccurate is posted, correct your mistake as soon as possible.

Be accountable

You and/or the university could be held accountable for what is posted online. Do not post anything erroneous, anything that could be considered a copyright infringement, or anything illegal.

Be confidential

Do not share anything online that could be in contradiction to FERPA laws or that could be considered proprietary information.

Be linked

Provide links back to the university’s web pages and news stories. This helps further tell our story.

Be “real”

Finally, “talk” online as you would in a real life conversation. You’re a real person and so are the people reading what you write.

Be connected

Let us know about your social media site so it can be added to the Radford University Social Media Directory.

Questions? Email rusocial@radford.edu.

General Guidelines for Personal Social Media Accounts

Be responsible

There is truly no such thing as “private” in social media. No matter what your privacy settings are, your picture, comment, or note is only a copy and paste away from being shared with everyone in cyberspace. In general, if you wouldn’t want your mom or your boss to see it, read it, or watch it, don’t post it.

Be clear

If you maintain a personal social media account, feel free to share your affiliation with Radford University. However, be clear the ideas expressed belong to you and not RU.

Be mindful

To avoid the misconception of official endorsement, Radford University logos should not be used as profile pictures or icons on personal social media pages.

Be careful

Do not reveal anything online that would allow others to easily find you or put you at risk for identity theft. For more on online safety, visit OnGuard Online.